Liquid crystal elements comprising an oriented layer of a liquid crystal polymer or comprising a substrate and the oriented layer formed thereon are utilized in various optoelectronics fields. Examples thereof include a retardation plate for compensating for a retardation of a liquid crystal cell to thereby inhibit coloration or the like and a circularly polarized light separation layer which uses a cholesteric liquid crystal as a liquid crystal polymer. The circularly polarized light separation layer separates natural light into left- and right-circularly polarized lights and converts the same into linearly polarized light through a 1/4 wavelength plate to thereby diminish absorption loss due to a polarizing plate. This separation layer is hence expected to bring about, for example, an improvement in the brightness of a liquid crystal display.
In practically using the oriented layer of a liquid crystal polymer, retardation characteristics in a three-dimensional direction including in-plane and thickness direction is related in a retardation film for compensation, and reflection characteristics including circular dichroism (wavelength region for selective reflection) is related in a circularly polarized light separation layer. Therefore, the oriented layer has conventionally been controlled so as to have optical characteristics according to the purpose of use. However, even where retardation characteristics, reflection characteristics, etc. have been matched and hence there has been no problem in visual perception in the front (perpendicular) direction, there has been the problem such that display unevenness such as coloration has developed in visual perception from slant direction.